


My Darkest Hour

by ZiallMyJaythan



Category: The Wanted (Band)
Genre: F/M, dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-10
Updated: 2013-06-10
Packaged: 2017-12-14 14:13:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/837790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZiallMyJaythan/pseuds/ZiallMyJaythan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shai Mitchell is a competitive hip-hop dancer. Dancing is her life until her best friend announces that her cousin and his four bandmates are coming over from the UK for a six month visit. Her life is thrown into a whirlwind when she finds herself stuck in a love triangle with two of those best mates.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"5, 6, 7, 8!"I yelled.

 

And the music started on cue. Drop It Low by Ester Dean and Chris Brown started playing. As we danced the choreography, the only two guys in this dance cane closer to me. And on the line, "Put my hands on your body, you sexy fo' sho'", they did exactly as the line said. Ran their hands down me. Don't worry, they are both gay but hilarious as fuck!

 

When the song ended, everyone clapped because that signaled the end of this class. I chugged down some water before talking to my class.

 

"Everyone, that is so much better than last Monday! Remember next week there is no class because it is the competition finally! I am so proud of all of you! We will have class on Saturday and then Friday because we will all be flying to Orlando for it! Saturday we will have a discussion on what to wear! Have a safe travel home! As for the rest of you, give me a couple minutes to cool down before we start our class."

 

I hugged everyone before they left. Only about five people were left in the next class. My sports bra was sticking to me because of sweat. I kept downing water as I sat down next to my best friend, Emily. She had beautiful golden brown curls.

 

"You are so sexy in Drop It Low"she commented.

 

"Awe babes, you are sexy in Domino"I said.

 

"Listen, I may not be able to make the competition on time..."she began.

 

I cut her off. "Why?!"

 

"No, I may be able to make it depending on when we go on"she said"My cousin from Nottingham is coming with some of his friends and I have to pick them up at the airport."

 

"I didn't know you had a cousin from Nottingham! That's so freaking awesome!"I exclaimed.

 

But I knew I had a class to start so I jumped up and began teaching. All the students had the dance memorized but we had to work on stance, entrance and, exit. Take It Off played in the background. I absolutely adored this song.

 

Class ended 55 minutes later. I thanked all the girls and collapsed on the floor.

 

"That was harder than last week"I said.

 

"So why is your cousin just suddenly visiting?"I asked.

 

Emily smiled. "They have an event to go to down here. If I do get to make it, they'll be at the competition."

 

I nodded, swallowing some water. "So, how old are your cousin and his friends?" I winked.

 

Emily laughed. "Well my cousin is 22. The rest are 24 except for the youngest who is 19."

 

"Interesting. Might have to do some hooking up with one of them"I said, laughing.

 

"I have to get going. Violin lessons"Emily said.

 

"Alright babe, see you later"I said, hugging her.

 

After she left, I grabbed my iPhone off the music dock and walked to my room. I locked the door behind me and stripped my sports bra and yoga shorts off before stepping into the shower. I didn't wash my hair, I just needed to wash the sweat off my body. I would wash my hair in the morning anyway.

 

After changing into some comfortable clothes, I turned on my iMac. I logged onto twitter and scrolled through my news feed.

 

 

I hooked my iPhone into a different music dock and set my entire dance playlist on shuffle. It consisted of a lot of upbeat songs.

 

I scrolled through my twitter feed a bit more before opening up my IM. I needed to share some info with the class.

 

{Me: Hey guys!! So proud of how far we've come. Hopefully we'll make it to districts.}

 

{Mia: I hope so too! It'd be amazing to make it our first time!}

 

{John: I'm super stocked!}

 

{Me: I have so many surprises to share on Saturday and lots of details! But first, I need everyone's sizes in pants, shirts and shoes! This is part of your surprises on Saturday!}

 

Everyone privately IM'd me their sizes. This was going to be so exciting. Since this competition was for 16+, there was almost no rules. Except for that girls cannot be nude or topless and guys cannot be fully naked. Everything else was free range. And since this was a hip-hop competition, we could do practically anything.

 

I heard the intercom buzzing so I paused my music and jumped up to answer it. I pressed the button and waited for someone to speak.

 

"Honey, dinner's ready"Mom said.

 

"What did Pierre fix?"I asked.

 

"Cesar Salad for you"Mom said.

 

"Alright, I'll be right down"I told her.

 

I opened my door and jogged from my east wing to the stairs, down the stairs and then into the formal dining room. I sat down in my normal seat and Tony, our Butler, placed my bowl of Cesar Salad in front of me.

 

"So how was class tonight?"Dad asked.

 

"Fantastic! I can't wait for the competition this next weekend"I said.

 

"Your mother and I have a business trip that weekend and that week after so we won't be home. Make sure not to trash the place"Dad said.

 

I smirked. "Don't worry Dad, if we trash anything, it'll be my wing"I said"By the way, love the edition to my movie theater. The Bose sound system is amazing!"

 

"You are welcome darling"Dad said.

 

I finished up my Cesar Salad and thanked Tony. "Well, I have to go order stuff for the competition. Love you!"

 

I kissed both of their cheeks before jogging back upstairs. I locked my door once again and went over to my iMac. I opened my wallet and pulled out my credit card. This was going to he a fantastic online shopping trip.

 

The clothing rules were that we had to have a set color scheme. So we chose black and pink. I ordered booty shorts for each girl and a rippled cover top. They needed to wear a neon colored sports bra underneath. The guys had black sweatpants and a black top with pink lettering on it of my dance studio. Sneakers were getting ordered as well. Drop It Low and Domino had the same outfit style. But Take It Off had more clothing because of the dance. Ah, and Snapbacks were ordered. Some said "Sexytime" and some said "Wings".

 

After placing the order, I realized the company was here in Miami so it would take no time to get here. Even though it was a huge order.

 

Putting my iPhone in the dock again, I collapsed on my bed. The next week would be so hectic. I took in a deep sigh.

 

(I guess I should explain myself since I haven't done that yet. Name's Shai Nicole Mitchell. I am eighteen but I'll be nineteen in what, two months? Around the time of districts.

 

I started dancing when I was six but my mom said when I was a toddler, I was constantly dancing. I guess you could say dancing is in my blood. I started with ballet then it progressed into hip-hop. I've been doing hip-hop since I was 8. So 12 years dancing but only 10 years doing hip-hop. I also fancied a little soccer, swimming and gymnastics. So I'm very competitive.

 

Anyway, I'm about 5'9 which is tall for a girl. Most of my dancers range from 5' to 5'5 except for Jason and Ted who are 5'11. I weigh about 120-123 pounds. I have abs you could say. It's from all the running and dancing I do.

 

I have long blonde hair. My hair was actually like a dirty blonde when I was younger but it lightened into a platinum blonde over the years. I wore glasses for awhile but then had to change to contacts when I became serious about dancing.

 

My parents are rich, I guess you could say that. My grandpa owned a billionaire company and when he died, he left all his investments, money and company to my Dad even though he was not the favorite out of his five siblings. I get what I want if I want it. But I try not to be greedy and give to others. So like I bought everyone's plane tickets, hotel rooms and all the dancewear.

 

I'm an only child. I did have an older sister but she died in a hit and run accident when I was 2 so I really don't have any memories. My parents tried for other children but never happened (apparently after my dad was hit in the place-where-the-sun-don't-shine by a 50 MPH baseball, he was unable to have kids).

 

So eventually my parents saved a whole hell of a lot of money and invested in building the home we have now. It's more like a caste or mansion if you must. It has an east and west wing. I live in the east wing and my parents in the west. I have my bedroom, my dance studio, a game room, my closet and movie theater. I could access each room with secrets doors in my room. I also had private access to the pool and hot tub out back.

 

For my eighteenth birthday, I got a private plane trip to go see my favorite band, The Wanted. I was a huge fangirl but when I met them, I was so calm compared to the girls behind me. I had a major crush on Jay and Nathan.

 

I also got a convertible with a nice bass and sound system. Some snapbacks and other random stuff. But my eighteenth birthday was pretty terrible too. It was the week after my birthday when my boyfriend of four years broke up with me. He said I was too serious about dance and couldn't spend enough time with him. He was basically implying sex.

 

So now I've sworn myself not to have a boyfriend until we get past districts. Because if you at least get to nationals, you get a scholarship to the New York School of Dance or the London School of Dance. I was going to pick London because I've always wanted to live in the UK.)

 

I got up and took my iPhone off the dock. I sat it on my bedside table and got underneath the covers. I clapped my hands and the lights flipped off. The moon shined through my patio doors and onto my bed. I slowly drifted off to sleep thinking about the competition.


	2. Chapter Two

After a week full of planning, the dancewear arrived on Friday. It looked so perfect! Like I can't even explain how amazing it all looks.

 

Then Saturday rolled around and I couldn't even explain my excitement. But I also couldn't wait to tell the entire class my surprise.

 

Everyone filed into the dance studio at 1pm sharp. I had them all sit on the floor and stretch their muscles while I gave all the news.

 

"So in this box, I have everyone's dancewear. But before we get to those, we need to discuss our surprise. Now this only involves one class but I wanted everyone to hear it. In Take It Off, we will have glitter be dumped on us. It's just gonna be like this huge explosion."

 

"So exciting! Wish I was in that dance. I love glitter!"Mia exclaimed.

 

"Alright, you guys ready for your costumes?"I asked. They obviously all nodded. I dug through the box. "First off, everyone in the Domino routine." I threw around the outfits to the girls in the Domino dance. "Next is Drop It Low. Yes, John and Ted, you will be shirtless." Threw around the outfits for that. "And finally, Take It Off. Now, all the girls have the ripped tank tops so you need to wear bright colored sports bras."

 

Everyone started talking about the outfits so I had to whistle a couple times to get their attention. "I have everyone's plane tickets. We will meet at the airport at 7am. Our flight leaves at 830am. We are staying at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando. It's about a 10 minute drive from the ballroom where the competition is being held. We will be staying in Orlando until Sunday and then flying home Sunday afternoon. Any questions?"

 

Missy raised her hand. "What about transportation to and from the hotel and ballroom?"

 

"I'm looking into renting a limo"I said.

 

"Wow. That's a little much for a competition don't you think?"John asked.

 

"We are here to win it. Just because it's only a competition doesn't mean we can't go in style"I stated.

 

"Alright, so let's get to practicing. Has anyone seen Emily?"I asked.

 

Everyone shook their head. I held off practice for another five minutes but Emily didn't show up so we went ahead and started. We started with the Domino dance, working on the errors that needed to be fixed. Then the Drop It Low practice started. And then the entire class finished with Take It Off. Sweating like mad, I hugged everyone before they all left. I wouldn't see them till Friday. I was still wondering where Emily went to.

 

I walked into my room and scrolled through my contacts until I found Emily's name. As it dialed, I walked out to my patio/deck.

 

"Emily! Finally! Where were you today?"I said.

 

"Sorry, my cousin called and he was chatting me up and his friends were like screaming"Emily said"According to their plane schedule, they should land about three hours before the show. I have to get them checked into their hotel and everything. They want to come to the competition but it depends on everything with them."

 

"What hotel are they staying at?"I asked.

 

"Umm, I believe its the Ritz Carlton in Orlando"Emily said"But I'm not for sure. I can text him if your dying to know that."

 

"No, its okay. Wait, what's your cousin's name anyway?"I asked.

 

"Jay. Listen, I gotta go. Violin lessons"Emily said quickly.

 

She was hiding something but I shrugged it off. I pulled my hair into a ponytail. My iMac lit up and it was a notification. The Wanted were doing a twitcam. I turned on the twitcam and pulled out one of my suitcases.

 

"Whooo!"I heard Tom screaming.

 

I turned my head to see all the boys standing around the camera. My eyes fell upon Jay and Nathan. I loved those two boys. I love them all but those two were my favorite.

 

"Who's coming to our shows in Orlando and Miami?"Nathan asked.

 

I quickly turned my head towards them. I was like glued to the tour dates with them so how did I not see this?!

 

I logged into my twitter so I could type a response. After I did, I walked into my closet and pulled out the like 50 bikinis I own.

 

"Someone just said we should check out the National Hip-Hop Dance Competition next weekend at the Centerfield Ballroom"Nathan read. He turned to the other boys. "I think it'd be fantastic! Well Shai, we may just have to go!"

 

My heart melted hearing Nathan say my name in his sexy Gloucester accent. I turned my attention back to packing. I stuffed a couple of my favorite bikinis into the suitcase.

 

I put the rest of the bikinis back into my closet and pulled out more clothes. Now I could start seriously packing while I watched the five idiots on twitcam.

 

Two suitcases later, I was finally packed for the next weekend. I say down in my chair and watched the idiots crack jokes about Nathan's small dick size. I was curious if that was actually true.

 

I shut off the twitcam and scrolled through the news feed of the page of my dance studio. When I first opened, I dreamed of going to this competition so everyone who wanted to join my dance classes had to audition and I picked the best ones. After the competition, I would try to open my classes to everyone.

 

Of course, if I won, I'd be opening the classes up in London. I'd miss everyone though but the UK had so many opportunities for me.

Collapsing on my bed, I curled up under my covers while scrolling on my phone. I had a text from Josh, one of my closest friends.

(Josh: Heard you'll be going to LSD (London School of Dance) soon)

 

(Me: Yeah, after Nationals there>)

 

(Josh: So you're determined to get to Nationals?>)

 

(Me: Silly boy. Of course we'll make it to Nationals and win! Oh, my name was mentioned on The Wanted's twitcam. By none other than Nathan.)

 

(Josh: Congratulations! Listen, you need to call me soon so we can hang out)

 

(Me: I was thinking of throwing a party Monday night after we get back from L.A. My parents are gone so we have the entire house to ourselves.)

 

(Josh: Sounds amazing! Mind if I bring Camille?)

 

(Me: She can totes come! You know I love Cami. I have a surprise for her too!)

 

(Josh: Awesome! We'll plan for Monday night then! Goodnight Nicky xx)

 

(Me: Goodnight Joshy.)

 

Josh and I have known each other since the 2nd grade. He's my only guy friend but he's an amazing street performer. He calls me Nicky because my middle name is Nicole. I call him Joshy because it annoys him.

 

He started dating Camille a couple years ago. She's an amazing street performer as well so when I had auditions for my classes, she auditioned but at the last minute so I didn't have any slots for her. But I knew my little surprise for her next Monday would make her overjoyed.

 

I set my phone on my side table and buried my head into the pillow before I slowly drifted off to sleep. Friday couldn't come soon enough.


	3. Chapter Three

My alarm blared throughout my room. I half-opened my eyes to see it was 5am. Shit! I quickly jumped out of bed and into the shower. I made sure to scrub my hair good before stepping out into my room to get changed.

 

I slipped on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt with a pug on it that said "Pugs not Drugs". I pulled on my black and white converse. Opening my drawer on my side table, I pulled out my Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and my Miami Dolphins SnapBack.

 

I called for Tony and he came up to get my suitcases. Normally I didn't ask for Tony to do this but I was late. I raced past him and down the stairs. I was hoping to see my parents but they were nowhere in sight.

 

"They had to leave at 2am this morning for their trip"Tony said.

 

"So I'm guess you're driving me then?"I asked, disappointed.

 

"Yes Ms. Cooper"he replied.

 

I sighed but followed him outside to my convertible. He stuffed the suitcases in the back and then got into the drivers seat. I followed suit by getting into the passenger seat and turning on Pandora. I sang along to some of the music playing.

 

Before I knew it, we were at the airport. I thanked Tony for driving me here then I grabbed my suitcases and headed inside. I went through check-in, security and baggage before going to the gate.

 

Some of the class was already here. We only had to wait for a couple people to arrive and they came just moments before the flight attendant told us that we could start boarding.

 

As we boarded the plane, I sat down next to Emily. She was texting Jay. I glanced over at her phone and saw the name Max. Max and Jay? Could she be related to...no, impossible.

 

She quickly slid her phone into her pocket and smiled at me. "Jay said they just boarded the plane. They have a cross-over flight in New York. They should be here around 7am tomorrow."

 

"The competition starts at 9am. I get the schedule in a few hours so hopefully you'll be able to make it"I said.

 

"I won't be able to hang out with you guys much. My parents are wanting me to spend a lot of time with Jay. He's only here for six weeks."

 

"Are his friends staying as well?"I asked, a twinkle in my eye.

 

"Yes, they'll be staying as well"she said"Don't get any smart ideas."

 

"Calm down. I made that promise remember?"I asked"No boyfriends till after Nationals."

 

We both put on earphones and blasted our music. Lip-syncing for the entire one hour plane trip. See, the drive to Orlando would have taken us four hours and we couldn't waste that time.

 

It didn't seem like long until we were told to fasten our seatbelts. You could feel the airplane hitting the runway and I gripped the seat. I wasn't afraid of planes but the landing always made me jump.

 

We had to wait a couple hours before everyone's luggage finally appeared. I called for our limo and it soon arrived. Everyone piled inside and was amazed by the decor inside. I've seen nicer.

 

The driver dropped us off at the front door of the Ritz Carlton. A bellhop took our luggage while we checked-in.

 

"Five rooms under Shai Cooper"I told the receptionist.

 

"Ah! Ms. Cooper"she said, handing me five keys. "Rooms 530-535! Have a wonderful evening!"

 

We all divided up the rooms. I was paired with Emily, Mia and Taylor. We each took turns on the elevators to ride up to the fifth floor.

 

I slid the key through the lock on our door, heard the click, and opened the door. There were two queen beds in the room which meant we had to share.

 

I threw my suitcases down on one of the beds and opened the one with my bikinis. I turned my head to see Emily on her phone.

 

"You guys landed already? Shoot! Alright, give me like 10 minutes to get here."

 

She slid the phone in her pocket and threw her curly hair into a ponytail. "Sorry, I gotta go. They surprised me by arriving to early."

 

"It's cool. I'm gonna work on my Florida tan"I said.

 

I walked into the bathroom and slipped on my purple bikini (which is hard to get on so it took like 10 minutes). I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and put on my silver Raybans. I grabbed a bag and packed my sun tan lotion, a magazine and my phone.

 

I took the elevator downstairs and out to the pool. It was a little crowded but not overcrowded. Damn guys from other states have six packs. I shook my head and laid down on a chair. The sun shone brightly on my skin. I pulled out my magazine and began to flip through the pages.

 

A shadow appeared over me and I threw up my middle finger. "You are blocking my sun. Fuck off."

 

"Oi! Just trying to find a spot to relax."

 

I automatically recognized the Gloucester accent. I sat myself up and pulled my Raybans up to see those piercing green eyes.

 

"Nathan Sykes, should've known"I said, grinning"Let me guess, Jay McGuiness is my best friend's cousin."

 

"I think so, yeah"he said.

 

"I knew something was suspicious"I said"Name's Shai but you might remember that because you called me out on a twitcam last Saturday."

 

He snapped his fingers. "Yes! Now I remember. You wanted us to come to the Hip-Hop dance competition."

 

I simply nodded, turning my head to see that perky blonde that I hated. "Pardon me for a moment."

 

I got up, gave her a simple push into the pool and then sat back down. "That's taken care of."

 

"You guys enemies or something?"he asked.

 

"You could say that. She runs the studio that's going against us in the competition"I said.

 

"Have your teachers been enemies as well?"he asked.

 

I laughed. "Uh-yeah. I'm the teacher. I have 20 students."

 

"Nicely!"he said.

 

I pulled out my sun tan lotion. "Help a girl out, eh?"

 

His eyes widened like it was just a shock. Has he never put sun tan lotion on a girl? "Umm...sure."

 

I handed him the bottle. I sat down in between his legs. "So what are you guys doing here?"

 

He started rubbing it on my shoulders. "We have a show here in Orlando, then one down in Miami. Then we're staying with Jay's cousin for six weeks."

 

"Sounds interesting. Well you outta' stop by my house next week. We start classes again on Tuesday for districts."

 

"If the competition isn't until tomorrow, how do you know you'll get to districts?"Nathan asked.

 

"My students are amazing dancers. We'll make it"I said.

 

He finished rubbing in the rest of the sun tan lotion. I turned around. "Thanks mate."

 

My hormones were really taking over me as I stared into his green eyes. They had just the tiniest blue flakes in them. I turned my head away for just a second but my face was grabbed by Nathan.

 

"You're really pretty"he said, gulping.

 

"You just met me Nathan"I said"Who knows, you may not like me."

 

He looked down and my hormones took over at that point. I climbed on top of him and start kissing him. He obviously didn't mind because he started kissing me back. I ran my tongue along his bottom lip and he allowed me access.

 

Snapping back into reality, I pulled away and got off of him, sitting back down on my own chair. "Oh shit. I'm so sorry."

 

"It's alright. I kinda like it"he said, grinning.

 

"Oh you would sloth boy"I said.

 

"Hey!"

 

I pulled my Rayban's over my eyes. "So what are you looking forward to doing in Orlando and Miami?"

 

"You"he said.

 

"Oh very funny. Hahahaha"I said, sarcastically.

 

"No, umm. Seeing all the fans"he said.

 

"Your fans are really sweet"I said.

 

"Are you not a fan?"he asked.

 

"Uh, hell yes. I'm just not a crazy fan who has like a billon posters of you in my room"I said"I'm too dedicated to my dancing."

 

"Oi mate! You came out to the pool without us!"someone shouted.

 

I was too busy scrolling through my phone to pay ANY attention whatsoever to who was speaking at that present moment. When I did look up, I saw four hot guys walking my way and Emily.

 

"Getting lucky, eh Nath?"Tom asked.

 

I pulled up my Raybans and glared at Tom. "Don't worry, he ain't ever getting lucky."

 

The boys started cracking up laughing at that joke. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Nathan. I mean he was the baby of the band and the most wanted member. So he probably got lucky all the time.

 

"So Emily, when were you going to tell me that Jay McGuiness was your cousin?"I asked.

 

"You didn't tell her, Emily?"Jay asked.

 

"She loves you guys so much. I wasn't about to have her screaming in my ear"Emily said.

 

"Yeah, like I would be screaming over them"I said, smirking.

 

I sat up and put all my stuff back into my bag. "Listen, we actually need to go discuss the schedule of everything tomorrow. It was lovely meeting you all."

 

I grabbed Emily by the arm and dragged her upstairs. I could still taste Nathan on my lips but I didn't dare tell Emily that I kissed him. I was slowly falling for Nathan Sykes. I was breaking my promise.


	4. Chapter Four

I groaned, pressing the snooze button on my alarm clock. The other three girls were still sound asleep. Probably because it was 6am.

 

I shifted myself out of bed and grabbed my phone. There was a text from an unknown number.

 

(Hey, I enjoyed our little make out session yesterday. We should do it again sometime. - Nathan)

 

(You totally wish sloth!)

 

(Saw your videos online. Nice ass xx)

 

(Oh shut up! You are terrible!)

 

(haha. So what are you doing up this early?)

 

(Morning jog. Gotta be back at 7 though for the competition.)

 

(Mind if I join you on that jog?)

 

(Sure. Meet me down in the lobby in five.)

 

I smiled and changed into my running gear. I left a sticky note on the side table in case one of the girls woke up and I wasn't there.

 

I slipped out into the hallway and took the elevator downstairs. I paced around in the lobby until I saw him.

 

"You better take it easy on me"he said, laughing.

 

I started jogging out the front doors of the hotel. "Come on pretty boy!"

 

I started jogging faster and he chased after me. We jogged for awhile until I saw a group of teenage skaters.

 

"Yo! Can I borrow one of your skateboards?"I asked.

 

One dude jumped of his and pushed it towards me. I jumped on it and started doing tricks. I got off of it and pushed it back towards the teenagers. I looked at Nathan who was grinning.

 

"Quite odd to see a girl skater"he said"There's one thing I didn't know about you."

 

"There's a lot you don't know about me"I said while messing up his fringe before taking off.

 

He chased after me but before I knew it, he had literally disappeared. I turned around and headed back towards where we had came from.

 

He was laying in the grass, breathing really heavily. Shit! I forgot he had asthma!

 

I ran over to him. "You okay? I'm so sorry. I totally forgot you had asthma."

 

He coughed slightly before speaking. "It's fine. I brought my inhaler with me. It just takes me a bit to recooperate."

 

I sat down beside him, picking at the grass. "So...."

 

"Can we get to know each other a little better?"He asked. He sat up and smiled. "Or at least let me get to know you?"

 

"Sure"I said, smiling. "Well, my name's Shai Nicole Cooper. 18, almost 19. Been dancing since I was 6. My parents are probably richer than you'll ever be. I'm not a snooty rich girl. I prefer to buy people stuff instead of go on constant shopping trips for myself."

 

"Do you play any instruments?"he asked.

 

"I play Piano, Guitar and Drums. Learning a bit of bass as well."

 

"I dabble in a bit of piano as well. Do you play any sports?"he asked.

 

"Dancing is a sport, silly boy"I said"But I am a skater which is a sport as well. I've done track, volleyball, soccer and softball."

 

"Wow. No wonder you're so fit"he said, chuckling. "What's your style like considering I've only seen you in a bikini and a jogging outfit."

 

"My style isn't what you see most girls wearing. I like to wear skinny jeans, hoodies, graphic tees and beanies. Or SnapBacks."

 

"Whoo! A SnapBack wearing girl! My type of girl!"he exclaimed"Favorite singers and bands?"

 

"The Wanted, obviously. Ke$ha, Jessie J, David Guetta and Flo Rida"I said"Also any kind of music that's easy to dance to."

 

Before he could speak, my wrist watch started beeping. "We gotta get back. I gotta get ready for this morning. Are you guys coming?"

 

"We are planning on it"he said.

 

We jogged at a slow pace back to the hotel. We both took different elevators so it wouldn't seem suspicious.

 

I walked into my hotel room to see the girls getting ready. I grabbed my outfit and went into the bathroom. I showered quickly before slipping on the sparkly pink shorts and the tops. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and started applying makeup. Mascara, check. Eyeliner, check. Foundation, check. Eyeshadow, check. Lipstick, check.

 

I slipped on my Raybans and checked myself out in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom. The girls were dressed and ready to go.

 

"Damn girls, we look pretty hot"I said.

 

I put on my Sexytime SnapBack and slipped into my shoes. "Emily, what level are the boys on?"

 

"802 and 803. Why?"she asked.

 

"I'm gonna go grab them"I said, running out of the room.

 

I got in the elevator and rode up to the eighth floor. I saw the numbers on the two rooms. I repeatedly banged my fists on the doors until Tom answered one.

 

"Holy-"

 

"Yeah, shut your trap. You have a girlfriend"I said, squeezing past him and into the room.

 

Nathan was tucked underneath the covers, sound asleep. I wore him out earlier. I didn't want to wake him up, he looked so cute.

 

"Nathan"I cooed.

 

His eyes opened widely and he smiled. Well that was easy. "What are you doing here?"

 

"Almost time to leave"I said"You guys can just ride with us. We have enough space for you guys in the limo."

 

"You rented a limo?!"Tom asked.

 

"Yep. Are Max, Siva and Jay awake?"I asked. "Meet my team down in the lobby in 30 minutes."

 

"No idea"Nathan said"Siva's in the bathroom though."

 

I walked out the door and to the left where I banged on Max and Jay's door some more. Jay finally answered.

 

"Hi Shai"he said, pink flushing to his cheeks. He was trying to hide it though. "What's up?"

 

"Competition day. Meet my team down in the lobby in 30 minutes"I said.

 

I took the elevator back down to the fifth floor and then knocked on all the doors of my teammates. Most of them were still getting ready.

 

By the time 30 minutes arrived, we were downstairs in the lobby waiting for the boys. It took them forever to get ready. Nathan was sporting his sexytime SnapBack. Must have seen mine earlier.

 

"Well aren't you looking fine, Mr. Sykes?"I asked.

 

"Why thank you Ms. Cooper"he said.

 

"Why are you the only one wearing pink shorts?"Jay asked.

 

"I'm the teacher. If the teacher is in one of the routines, they have to wear a totally different color"I said"Okay, we're running late. Let's go."

 

I called around for the limo and then we all climbed in. It was a little tight but then again, it was only a 10 minute drive to the ballroom.

 

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my twitter to see I had five new followers. The boys. So I decided to post a tweet.

 

{@OfficialShaiDance Competition day! Hanging out with @thewanted boys! #jealous?}

 

I put my phone back into my pocket just as the limo pulled up outside the ballroom. I was the first out and there was paparazzi everywhere. Not because of the boys but because this was a huge competition. They held this first stage of the competition in every state mostly.

 

There was literally a red carpet up to the entrance. This was a tad much but I liked it. The rest of my team exited the vehicle and we were asked to stand together for a few pictures and then we were off inside. We lost the boys outside so we checked in and headed backstage. My hands were shaking as I saw Zelda and her team practicing.

 

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulder and I was spun around. It was Jay.

 

"I went to a dance school. Having a crowd of strangers is nothing compared to having a crowd of parents watch you"he said"You'll do fantastic. Just focus on the music and dancing. Forget that anybody is even in the audience."

 

"Thanks Jay"I said.

 

I went in to give him a small hug but my arms wouldn't loosen around his waist. He was warm and smelled absolutely fantastic.

 

I finally let go and ushered him off so I could talk to my team. "Alright guys, we've been working on getting here for almost a year. You guys have worked hard. We don't need to focus on getting to districts but just on making the performance our best."

 

We all held hands and watched a few acts before our first dance was called on. Domino. The acts before us were pretty good which meant we had to step it up a notch.

 

As I stepped out onto the stage, I was blinded with flashes of light. I got my bearings and adjusted to the light just as the music started. Here goes nothing.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

The performances were incredible. Especially Take It Off. Because we were all covered in sweat, the glitter stuck better. After all the performances had been completed, they called for a 30 minute break.

 

I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and exited to the front where the boys were. "What's do you guys think?"

 

"You look fit covered in glitter"Nathan commented.

 

I slapped my hand against his cheek so now he had glitter on his. "And now you do too."

 

"You guys were amazing! I especially liked Drop It Low"Tom said.

 

I slapped him on the arm. "You have a girlfriend."

 

"Ow!"he said, pouting.

 

"Awe is little Tommy hurt?"I asked.

 

"Oh shut up"Tom snapped.

 

"Warning! Tom Tantrum!"Siva warned.

 

I could see the pain in Jay's eyes. He looked hurt. Was flirting with Nathan bothering him?

 

"Will you guys be in Miami Monday night?"I asked.

 

"We should be. Why?"Jay asked.

 

"I'm throwing a huge party at my house. No parents"I said.

 

"Beer?"Siva asked.

 

"Nope. Sorry but I'm illegal out here and so is Nath"I said.

 

"Awe man!"

 

Everyone was called back into the room. One by one we were called onstage by studio. It was eventually weeded down to me, Zelda and another studio in Tallahassee.

 

My group held hands together, like we always did. Although none of us were religious, we always prayed before classes started. We believed it helped keep us safe.

 

"In third place with a total of 87.7 points, is The Tallahassee Trio!"

 

They were awarded their certificate and then exited the stage. Now it was just my team and Zelda's. I stared her dead straight into her eyes as we awaited the news.

 

"In first place with a perfect score of 100.0 points is.................The Dirty Dancers of Miami!"

 

The screaming in the room was unbearable. I fell to my knees in tears. To know that my team, The Dirty Dancers, had actually gotten first place in our first competition was AMAZING.

 

The boys ran on stage to give me and Emily hugs. Jay picked me up and spun me around.

 

"You know what, lets go out and celebrate! It's on me!"I yelled.

 

I jumped on Nathan's back, almost knocking him to the ground. He grabbed my thighs and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Jay was carrying Emily on his back but you could totally tell he wanted it to be me.

 

"So far, this has been the best weekend ever"I said.

 

I pulled out my phone and managed to post a couple tweets while holding onto Nathan.

 

{@OfficialShaiDance Just got first place! Districts here we come!}

 

{@OfficialShaiDance Riding around on @NathanTheWanted's back. #scared}

 

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and nuzzled my head back into the crook of Nathan's neck as he carried me the rest of the way to the limo.


	5. Chapter Five

So after going to dinner with the boys and the rest of the crew, we headed back to the hotel. Because of such a hectic day, we all hit the sack early.

 

Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay for The Wanted's concert in Orlando. Emily stayed though so she could drive down with the boys.

 

The plane ride home seemed to be shorter than the ride there. Once I was back in my driveway, there was only one thing on my mind. Districts in two months. We had to learn three new routines.

 

But I was also excited for the party tomorrow night. I pulled open my front door and Tony greeted me.

 

"Good afternoon Ms. Cooper"he said"How was your trip?"

 

"Absolutely fantastic! We made it to districts!"I said with a huge smile on my face.

 

"That's wonderful"he said"so what are your plans for these next couple weeks?"

 

"Classes to learn three new routines"I said"Also tomorrow I'm throwing a huge party. You and the rest of the staff can have the night off."

 

"Thank you Ms. Cooper."

 

I raced upstairs and into my room. I grabbed my dance outfit and slipped it on. I ran into the dance room and put my iPhone into the dock. I quickly pulled my hair ponytail as the music started. Bring It Home by Dappy and The Wanted.

 

Since I already had choreography, it just took some perfection. I really loved the beat to this song. This could be the dance that gets us to Nationals.

 

Since I had some free time, I decided to film a video for my YouTube channel. I filmed a bit of the dance as a preview clip. I went back to my room and exported it to my iMac. Then I edited it in iMovie. After that, I uploaded it to YouTube. I had over 11 million views in total.

 

I grinned as I scrolled through my twitter since I hadn't checked it since Saturday. I had a couple tweets from the boys.

 

{@NathanTheWanted: @OfficialShaiDance is heavier than I thought!}

 

{@JayTheWanted: @OfficialShaiDance is amazing! Ya'll should check her out!}

 

I smiled, wishing I could be in Orlando right now to see the boys in concert. But they'd be in my freaking house tomorrow night.

 

I heard a beep and saw I had a Skype invitation from..Emily?! I quickly answered. Her phone was pointed to the stage where the boys were performing.

 

"We want to give a huge shout out to a new friend of ours!"Max said.

 

"Her name is Shai Cooper and she is a pretty awesome dancer!"Nathan said.

 

"So you should check her out on YouTube!"Siva said.

 

"My cousin, Emily introduced us and trust me, Shai is cooler than hell!"Jay said.

 

"And she's hot too!"Tom said.

 

Oh dear, Tom would be in trouble with Kelsey. I smiled, knowing I was now friends with them. I closed down my iMac and collapsed on the bed.

 

This weekend was possibly the best ever and who knows what tomorrow night would bring.

 

I laid my head back on my soft pillow and slowly drifted off to sleep. The best party of my life couldn't come any sooner.

 

\---------------------------------------

 

I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache. I trudged downstairs to grab some Advil. I popped a couple into my mouth and swallowed. I walked back upstairs, showered and changed into some shorts, a purple and white striped tank top, and a pair of white vans. I left my hair wet and braided it into a fishtail braid to the side. I put on a Superman SnapBack and my Raybans.

 

I pulled my phone and called Camille, who of course was hanging out with Josh.

 

"Hey guys, want to meet me at Walmart? I need to go shopping for tonight"I said.

 

They agreed and I jogged downstairs and snatched the keys to my Ford Escape. I slipped inside the silver vehicle and turned on my Spotify Dance playlist. I jammed out to a couple songs before pulling into a parking spot at Walmart.

 

I stepped inside the front doors and grabbed a cart before spotting Josh and Camille.

 

"So I compiled a list of a bunch of stuff we need and it's gonna take us awhile so let's get started"I said.

 

First I went over to the bakery and ordered like 10 cakes. Nothing fancy, just a bunch of plain chocolate and vanilla cakes with random frosting. The lady recognized me and said all the cakes would be done quickly and I could have them for half price. How sweet. Then we started shopping.

 

We started in the party aisle. I grabbed as many cans of silly string I could get. Glow-In-The-Dark, regular and neon. The rest of the party supplies would need to be gotten at Party City. We got tons and tons of bowls for candy, chips, etc.

 

Most of the food would be gotten at Sams Club. Especially the beverages. I looked through the aisles but decided that there was no food we could get here that would be cheaper. Except for Ice Cream.

 

The Ice Cream aisle was like heaven for all three of us. We raided that aisle like mad dogs. While Josh went to get a spot in line, Cami and I stayed back to get the cakes. I saw the assortment of cupcakes and decided to grab them all. We piled the cakes into the carts and then headed to Josh.

 

As I stood in line, a thirteen year old girl came up to me. "Are you Shai Cooper?"

 

"Yes I am"I replied.

 

She held out a pen and a piece of paper. "Can you sign this for me? I absolutely love your dancing."

 

"Awe!"I said. I signed her paper quickly. "There you go! Are you a dancer?"

 

"Yeah!"

 

"Keep working hard. That's how you'll achieve your goals."

 

"Thank you!"

 

I handed the cashier my card and we checked out. A girl had just asked for my signature. That was crazy!

 

"Okay, I'm gonna take this stuff back to my house and then I'll meet you at Party City. We'll hit Sams after that."

 

I drove back to my house. It took like 50 trips to get everything inside the house and then into our walk-in freezer. That really came in handy at a time like this.

 

I got back in my SUV and drove to Party City. This was going to be like a kid in a candy store. We hit for lights first. We got right 7in Strobe lights, several string lights. We then hit the streamers: Zebra Print (Black, pink, blue and green) and then plain colored in various colors.

 

Balloons in a huge amount of various colors and helium tanks. Party hats in various colors. Napkins, lots of them. Cups as well. Giant Pinatas. Cupcake stands. The cashier had fun checking us out.

 

After checking out and dumping the supplies in my SUV and then drove to SAMs. We each grabbed a cart, I flashed my membership card and pointed to show that Cami and Josh were with me.

 

We started with drinks first. Bottled water, energy drinks, sodas, and juice! Lots of non-chocolate candy such as Skittles, Starbursts, Twizzlers, Push Pops, etc. Then M&M's, Kit-Kats, etc as for chocolate candy. We got cookies too!

 

We also got chips, tea, hot cocoa and coffee. Not the shitty coffee but like the real stuff. Oh! And hell of a lot pr ice. Lets just say that our load took much more than three carts.

 

We separated the load out between our two cars then we drove back to my house. It took us awhile but we finally unloaded it all. This was at a point in time when I wished the boys were here.

 

"Okay, what are we gonna do first?"Josh asked.

 

"Start on blowing up some of the balloons with the helium tanks. I'm going to throw all the cold stuff in the freezer"I said.

 

There was a knock at the door and Josh ran to go get it while I carried bags of ice into the freezer.

 

"Shai! You may want to come here!"Josh yelled.

 

I closed the freezer door and ran towards the front door. There stood the boys and Emily.

 

"Oh my god! You guys are here early! I wasn't expecting you till like six!"I exclaimed.

 

"Well, we thought'd we come help with the party"Jay said.

 

"Fantastic! I have jobs for you all!"I said. I turned to Siva. "There are eight boxes of strobe lights in the kitchen. I need you to hang them in here. There's a ladder in the hall closet."

 

He nodded and headed off to complete his job. I walked over to a box on the wall. I typed in a 4 digit passcode and pressed play. Music started playing throughout the house.

 

"This a sweet house!"Nathan said.

 

"It gets a little lonely sometimes"I said. I quickly changed the subject. "Max and Tom, I'm allowing you guys to have free range of the streamers. Can I trust you?"

 

They nodded quickly and ran to grab the bags of streamers in the kitchen. I led Emily, Jay and Nathan in the kitchen. Josh and Cami were working on the helium balloons in the living room.

 

"Jay, I need you to empty all the candy into their bowls. Do not steal any skittles"I said.

 

"Awe, you know I'm too weak for skittles!"Jay said.

 

"Just do it"I said, laughing. I turned to Nathan. "You are in charge of filling up the Pinatas."

 

"This is a lot of food for just us lot"Tom said, walking into the room.

 

"There's a lot more than just us. My friends, my friends friends and my friends friends friends"I said, giggling at his confusion. "Don't forget their boyfriends/girlfriends."

 

"Geez, now I understand why"he said, chuckling.

 

"I can't believe it's almost April 18th"I said, loudly so Nathan could hear me.

 

"Is it really?"he asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"And I believe someone has a birthday on that day"I said.

 

"Hmm, I wonder who that could be?"I pondered.

 

I walked into the freezer and grabbed a cupcake. I pretended to pull the wrapper off to eat it but instead I ran up to Nathan and smashed the cupcake on his face.

 

"Cooper you are going to get it!"he yelled.

 

I ran up the stairs and into my room. I slipped into one of the secret doorways. I heard him run into my room, panting.

 

"Okay, where are you hiding?"he asked.

 

"I'm in here"I whispered.

 

I slipped into my closet and then into another door which led into my dance room. I collapsed on the hardwood floor and waited until Nathan finally arrived.

 

"How did you...."

 

"Secret passageways, house is full of them"I said.

 

He sat down on on the floor next to me, admiring the room full of mirrors. "So this is where you teach your dance class?"

 

"And where I go to escape"I told him"I know it seems like I have a perfect life but I really don't. And when I need an escape, I go here."

 

"I feel the same way"he said.

 

"So do you know how to dance? You know like The Waltz, Cha Cha, etc?"I asked.

 

"Have you ever seen me on stage? I'm gonna say no"he said, laughing.

 

"Good because I'm going to teach you"I said, standing up.


End file.
